Page 43 of Daddy's Little Cowgirl

She looked down at herself. She had been trying to stay dry, but she was drenched now. At least her clothing was dry.

“Okay. This is the best we can do.” She walked out of the water. “I forgot to see if there was something we could use to dry off with.” She gathered her things and went back to the truck. She found some clothes and used them to dry off before getting dressed. She then turned to Thor and got him as dry as she could. It helped when he continued to shake, but she also got splattered.

The sun was setting by the time she got them both in the truck. Her nose wrinkled. I’m not sure what is better, a dirty dog or a wet one.

She made sure the doors were locked before she got some food out for them. Thor got another steak while she ate chips. When they finished, she moved around until she was lying on the seat with her head on a pillow and the blanket over her.

“Come on and lay down, Thor.”

He turned a few times before he curled up against her legs.

She liked how warm he was and the fact he made her feel safe. Not as safe as her daddy, but close. When she relaxed, tears came. She cried for a long time because she missed Ridge, and she knew he was scared, too.

Thor moved around until he could reach her face and started licking her tears away. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

She fell asleep. She jerked awake a few times, but otherwise, she was so tired she was out.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ridge paced back and forth in his office. He had all his men and the sheriff’s department out looking for his girl, but he still felt like there was more he could do. He had wanted to go and look for her himself, but Ben reminded him it was best to wait because she might call or come home on her own.

He grabbed his phone when it rang.

“What?” he barked.

“From the tone of your voice, I’m guessing she still hasn’t been found?” Darian asked.

Ridge pinched the bridge of his nose when his eyes started to sting. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried, but he needed to at the moment. He’d never felt so helpless before in his life.

“No. I’ve heard nothing.”

“You’ll find her.”

“What if she’s been hurt?” Ridge asked.

He heard Darian sigh. “You’ll deal with whatever you need to. Let’s just concentrate on getting her home.”

“That fucker Jerald is going to die once I get my hands on him.” Ridge had been told at the time he’d been frantically looking for Ellie earlier that Jerald had slipped away. It didn’t take a genius to guess he was the one that took her.

So many visions filled his head about what the bastard was doing to his girl, and they were all bad.

“Do you want me to come there?” Darian asked.

“No. Maybe later.”

“Whenever you need me. I’ll bring the helicopter so I can get there sooner.”

Ridge’s breath caught in his throat. A fucking helicopter. “Can you send it to me now? We could use it to cover more ground.”

“Hell, yes, I thought you guys had one.”

Ridge pressed on his temple where a headache had started when he found out about his girl. “Ben called for one, but it can’t get here until the morning.”

“It will be on its way,” Darian said.

“Oh, God, thanks, man.”

“You’ll find her. Call if you need me.”

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